When we were told that the children's school was closing for two weeks, I thought about doing lots of things with them. I wanted to read a classic book aloud to them, learn to sew with them, cook lots of special dishes, and make the most of our time together.
Reality arrived soon; it wasn't going to be a two-week closure, and it wasn't just the schools that would be closed, everything that wasn't essential was closing.
At that moment, I wasn't scared, to be honest. I thought it would be a difficult time for many people, but having a house big enough for the four of us, a small garden, and knowing that neither my job nor my husband's was in imminent danger, the lockdown would be quite easy for us compared to others, and I felt grateful for that. ( If you want to read more about how I work with this feeling of gratitude, you can read it here.) What's more, I thought I'd have time to do a lot of things I don't usually have time for. The reality has been quite different:
Vision: Gymnastics at any time
Reality: Yoga while others sleep
Vision: New and complicated recipes to make with love, and with all the time in the world
Reality: Tried and tested recipes, and great care taken not to throw away food to avoid waste.
Vision: Time for daily face masks and self-care
Reality: A weekly face mask before showering, but without the glamour I expected.
Vision: To read a good book per week, and finish all the ones I've left unfinished.
Reality: Binge-watching mindless TV series at night to give myself a break from thinking about the reality of what's happening.
Vision: To fill the entire day with something productive
Reality: Moments of non-stop activity, and moments of doing nothing (trying not to feel guilty)
It's true that when the lockdown started, I didn't think it would last so long. If someone had told me then that a month later we'd still be stuck at home, I might have done things differently. The good thing is that I have learned, and I hope I can help you cope better. Here's what has helped me:
- Getting up early and before anyone else, to work and/or do a long, uninterrupted yoga session.
- Sticking to a schedule from Monday to Friday (with an alarm included), and not having such a structured weekend routine, not only makes it easier to do things we don't feel like doing, but also gives us time to do nothing or entertain ourselves in whatever way we prefer at that moment.
- Making time for special moments. We've always had homemade pizza for dinner on Fridays and usually watch a movie together. We continued doing this during lockdown. Last weekend, my husband and I also managed to spend some time alone together chatting, in the little bit of time between putting the kids to bed and falling asleep.
- I stick to recipes I trust and don't try to be too creative. I'm a creative person and I enjoy cooking, but since we only shop once a week, I want to make sure we don't waste anything. It's true I've made a few special recipes—bread, quiche, and carrot cake, among others—but always using ingredients I trust.
- Dedicate the appropriate amount of time to each task. I haven't yet accomplished everything I wanted to—organizing closets, a general cleaning, etc.—but what I have done, I've done well and without rushing. Last week, I cleaned all the winter shoes and put them away. This is a task I usually do quickly and carelessly. I know that in the fall, I'll appreciate the time I spent doing it when I can easily find every shoe, boot, and bootie.
To help you maintain a wellness routine, we've prepared journal pages for you to plan and celebrate each step you take toward feeling better. We hope you find them useful. You can view and download them as a PDF here.
I'd love to know what you've learned in these past few weeks.